Article transfer mechanism for bread wrapping machines



Aug. 25, 1953 E. G. SCHRAGE 2,649,675

ARTICLE TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR BREAD WRAPPING MACHINES Filed Oct. 6, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR EDWARD G. SCHRAGE BY mmr-zaQ-7 ATTORNEYS Aug. 25, 1953 E- G. SCHRAGE 2,649,675

ARTICLE TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR BREAD WRAPPING MACHINES Filed Oct. 6, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 EDWARD G. SCHRAGE nn- P hf LII l lrll llllll ATTOR N EYS Aug. 25, 1953 E. G. SCHRAGE ARTICLE TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR BREAD WRAPPING MACHINES Filed Oct. 6, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 k N l IQ Q Q l Q I Q Q A m N l m N Q i E? N \r l 1 l R Q N 4 II j INVENTOR i EDWARD G. SCHRAGE \o A AT TOR N EYS Aug. 25, 1953 E. G. SCHRAGE 2,649,675

ARTICLE TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR BREAD WRAPPING MACHINES Filed Oct. 6, 1950 4 Sh'etS-Sht 4 xxwm \xuw B INVENTOR EDWARD G. SCH RAGE 49 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 25, 1953 ARTICLE TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR BREAD WRAPPING MACHINES Edward G. Schrage, Rock-Island, Ill., assignor to The Bettendorf Company, Bcttendorf, Iowa, a

corporation of Maryland Application October 6, 1950, Serial N 0. 188,791

This invention relates to an article transfer mechanism for wrapping machines and more particularly to a mechanism for transferring articles from the elevator of the wrapping machine to the folding and sealing runway.

The invention is applicable to wrapping machines of the type in which articles are intermittently delivered to a wrapping mechanism which includes an elevator having means associated therewith for gripping the leading edge of the wrapper web to the article in such manner that the wrapper is wound around the article during the upward travel of the elevator and a folding and sealing runway to which the article is delivered from the elevator where the ends of the wrapper are folded against the article and the package is sealed by heating the wrapper to adhere the overlapping folds thereof and then cooling it to set the adhesive coating. In such machines it is common practice to deliver articles to the elevator intermittently and to operate the elevator with dwells at its receiving and discharging positions. It has been proposed to employ a single continuously driven pusher conveyor for transferring articles from the elevator to the folding and sealing runway and moving them along the runway, but such article transfer devices have been subject to the difficulty that shifting the article from the elevator during the portion of the operating cycle in which the elevator dwells in its discharging position requires a speed of movement of the pushers greater than is desirable in the folding and sealing runway.

The present invention provides a transfer device in the form of a continuously driven pusher which moves with relatively high speed across the elevator platform so that the elevator need have only a short dwell at its discharging position, which moves the pusher at relatively slow speed in the entrance portion of the folding and sealing runway to provide improved folding and better sealing and which moves the articles at substantially constant speed through the remainder of the runway.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic front elevation of a Wrapping machine to which the present invention is applied;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of one side portion of the folding and sealing runway;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section showing one of the endless chains and its attached pushers in side elevation;

'1 Claims. (01. 53-121) Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line indicated at 44 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line indicated at 55 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the rear end of the delivery conveyor with a portion broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of one of the pushers on an enlarged scale; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary side elevation of the pusher shown in Fig. 7.

As shown in Fig. l of the drawings the wrapping machine to which the device of the present invention is applied is provided with a feed conveyor A, a transfer device or elevator B, a paper feed mechanism C, a horizontal folding and sealing runway D, and a transfer conveyor E which discharges articles from the elevator B and moves the same along the runway D. The machine is provided with a frame I having a horizontal top to accommodate the runway D and the machine is driven by a shaft 2 through a sprocket chain 3. A Geneva gearing 4 driven by the chain 3 imparts intermittent movement to the feed conveyor A. A sprocket chain 5 driven by the chain 3 operates the paper feed mechanism C and a sprocket chain 6 driven by the chain 3 continuously drives the endless transfer conveyor E. As is a common practice in wrapping machines the machine is adjustable to accommodate articles of different lengths, article guides being provided along the feed conveyor and along the folding and sealing runway which are adjustable simultaneously to and from the center plane of the machine to accommodate articles of different widths or lengths.

As shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 an adjusting hand wheel I is provided which is connected by a sprocket chain 8 with screw shafts 9 and I0 for adjusting the feed conveyor guides. Sprocket chains II and I2 connect the hand wheel I to screw shafts I3 and I4 to adjust the side guide members of the folding and sealing runway.

The overhead transfer conveyor T is supported on standards l5 and I6 carried by the frame I at the top thereof and comprises spaced endless sprocket chains I! which run over front and rear sprockets l8 and I9. The sprocket chains I! carry swinging arms 20 which have pushers 2| attached to their free ends. The rear sprockets I9 of the transfer conveyor are positioned directly over the elevator B which is provided with a platform 22 which alines with the feed conveyor A in the lowermost position of the elevator and with the folding and sealing 3 runway D in the delivery position of the elevator.

The feed conveyor A is provided with article engaging nights 23 and is intermittently driven to advance the conveyor flights 23 a distance corresponding to the length of the space between the flights during each cycle of operation of the machine.

The elevator B is reciprocated between its receiving and discharging positions with a short dwell at each of said positions sufiicient to permit the conveyor A to push an article onto the elevator while the elevator is in its receiving position and to permit an article to be pushed 01f of the elevator by the conveyor E while the elevator is stationary in its uppermost position.

The rear sprockets l9 are keyed to a transverse supporting shaft 24 and each sprocket 19 has an elongated hub 25 rotatable in a collar 26 that is attached to a side rail 21. The side rails 21 which support the pusher conveyor and the guide portions of the runway D are adjustable by means of the hand wheel 1 toward and away from the center plane of the machineto accommodate articles of different lengths. The forward sprockets I8 are carried by stub shafts 28 attached to the side rails 27 so that each endless sprocket chain ll and its "attached pushers is adjustable with one of the side rails. Each of the "swinging pusher arms 2!! has a bend 29 adjacent the sprocket chains which providesa short end portion at an angle to the remainder of the "arm. The lower run of each of the sprocket chains 17 is guided between superposed bars 30 and 3| which are attached to the inner face of a longitudinal supporting bar 32. Each bar '32 is attached to one of the side rails 21 and has a groove 33 along its inner face to provide a clearance for the chains I1. Spaced inwardly from each pair of chain guide bars there is a cam rail 34 provided with an outwardly facin groove 35 that receives rollers 35 mounted on the pusher arms at the bends'29 thereof. The cam rails 34 have'enlarged rear end portions 31 that are supported on the shaft 24. The forward ends of the cam rails 34 are supported by brackets 38 attached to the guide rail supporting bars 32 and the -rear ends of the rails are connected to "the bars 32 by bolts 39 that pass through spacing sleeves '40 interposed between the bars 32 and rails 34. The cam rails 34 terminate near the front sprockets 18 allowing the arms 20 to hang "freely from the sprocket chain I! during their passage from the lower 'run to the frame I so that they'a're swung by gravity into engagement with the 'pins 4| projectin inwardly from "the sprocket chains During their passage along their upper run the chains "H are supported on horizontal guide rails 42 and hold down guide members 43 attached to the supporting rails "21 overlie the sprocket chains adjacent'the rear sprockets I9.

position and to insure engagement of the rollers 36 in the entrance ends of the grooves 35. The rear end portion 31 of the cam rail has inclined guide portions '44 leading upwardly to the entrance ends of thegrooves 35.

As best'shown in Figs. 7 and 8'the pushers '2| are connected to the arm'20'by horizontal pivots "45 and are normally held by springs 45 against stop lugs '41 'formedon the arms '20, the'lugs ll serving to position the pushers 2| in substantially 4 upright position during their passage over the elevator platform and along the folding and sealing runway. The pushers 2| have rearwardly extending arms 48 which carry shoes 49 that are engageable with the elevator platform and with the bed of the folding and sealing runway.

The portion of the cam groove 35 below and to the rear of the shaft 24 is deflected upwardly at 50 towards the shaft 24 to swing the pusher arms 20 rearwardly about their pivots so as to bring them to substantially vertical position as they pass over the rear edge of the elevator platform as shown in Fig. 6. During movement of the pushers 2| across the elevator platform 22 the arms '20 are swung forwardly past their normal position :to increase the speed of the pushers and effect a rapid transfer of the article being wrapped to the folding and sealing runway after which the arms are swung rearwardly to their normal position causing their speed of "forward travel to be reduced as they move into the entrance portion -of the folding and sealing runway. The pusher arms 20 are first swung rearwardly by shifting the arm supporting rollers 36 to positions above the chains 1 in the upwardly deflected portions 50 of the cam groove 35. The swing of the arms past their normal position is accomplished by shifting the rollers' 3 B to positions below the chains after they pass the portions 5%) of the cam rail and the retardation of the pushers in theentrance end of the folding and sealing channel is e'fiected by returning the rollers 36 to positions in horizontal a-linement with the sprocket chains H. 'The rate-of acceleration and deceleration of the pushers is dependent upon the relative inclinations of the chain guides and cam grooves in the portions thereof where the rollers 36 are above -or below the chains l 'l. During the pivotal movements-of the pusher arms 20 the sprocket chains and the arm supporting rollers 36 are so guided that the lower pusher "carrying ends of the arms '20 travel substantially along horizontal lines. The lowerc'hain guide bar-s 3| have'bevelled rear ends 51 that underlie the rear sprockets l9 anddefiect the chains '11 'upwardly-dur'in -the forward swing movement of the pusher arms 20 to onset the downward movement of the pushers withrespect to "the pivotal connect-ionsof the arms 20 -to the chain -H. forwardly-of the bevelled endof the g-uide bar 3| the *cam grooves 33 have portions "52 -'-deflected upwardly to cause '-the 'arms 20 :to swing forwardly past their normal positions as the pushers moveto-the forward edge of the elevator platform. The conveyor chains ll are driven at a speed "such that they move a distance corresponding to the space between suc- -cessive pusher arms 2-0 during each wrapping cycle. By meanso f the-deflected portions ofthe chain =s'o-"that the-transfer of an article from the elevator to the folding 'andsea-ling runway ean be effe'c ted during a small *por-tion-of the -wrappingcyc'le. The accelerated *movement of the arms 20 across the elevator platform is "01- ilowed by a decelerated movement which causes the article to move relatively "slowly in the entrance end of the folding and sealing runway until the arms 20 "are returned "to their normal position. The "rapid movement "of the pushers across the elevator platform is advantageous in that 'it "permits the dwell o'ftheelevator in its discharge position to be shortened and enables the wrapping operation to be 'speeded up. The

heated bed plates 53 and 54 upon which the articles are supported during their passage through the heated portion of the runway D and beyond the heated portion of the runway, the articles are delivered by the pushers 2| to a cooling portion in which the article rests upon a bottom belt 55 and is engaged at its ends by belts 55 which grip the ends of the article and travel therewith while the wax or other adhesive joining the folds cools and sets.

What I claim is:

1. In a wrapping machine, a folding and sealing runway, an elevator movable to carry articles to a position in alinement with one end of said runway, means for rapidly moving articles from said elevator to said runway and for moving them at a lower speed along the runway including an article pusher movable in continuous engagement with the article over the elevator and along said runway, and pusher actuating means including means for increasing and decreasing the speed of said pusher during its movement in pushing engagement with the article and acting to move said pusher and article over the elevator at relatively high speed, to reduce the speed of the pusher and the article in the entrance portion of said runway and to move the pusher and the article at a substantially constant speed less than said high speed along said runway.

2. In a wrapping machine, a folding and sealing runway, an elevator movable to carry articles to a position in alinement with one end of said runway, a supporting member mounted for linear movement over said elevator and along said runway, means for moving said supporting member at a substantially constant speed, a pusher carried by said supporting member for continuous pushing engagement with an article on said ele vator and said runway to move the same off said elevator and along said runway, said pusher being connected to said supporting member for movement forwardly and rearwardly with respect thereto, and pusher advancing means operable during the portion of the movement of said supporting member in which said pusher is moving over said elevatorand while said pusher is engaging the article on the elevator for moving said pusher forwardly with respect to said supporting member to move the article off the elevator and onto said runway at a speed higher than said constant speed.

3. In a wrapping machine, a folding and sealing runway, an elevator for carrying articles to a position in alinement with the entrance end of said runway, a conveyor for rapidly transferring articles from the elevator to the runway and for moving the same at a lower speed along the runway comprising an endless flexible carrying member overlying the elevator and runway and a series of longitudinally spaced article engaging pushers, each pusher being suspended from said carrying member for continuous pushing engagement with an article to move the same off the elevator and along the runway and for movement forwardly and rearwardly with respect to said carrying member, means for driving said carrying member at a substantially constant speed in a direction to move said pushers over the elevator and along said runway and means acting on each of said pushers to move it forwardly with respect to the carrying member during its movement in engagement with the article over the elevator to move an article off the elevator and onto said runway at a speed greater than that of the carrying member and for moving each pusher rearwardly with respect to the carrying member to move the article at a speed lower than that of the carrying member in the entrance portion of the said runway and for holding each pusher against movement relative to said carrying member during its travel along said runway to move the articles along the runway at the speed of the carrier.

4. In a wrapping machine, a folding and sealing runway, an elevator for carrying articles to a position in alinement with an end of said runway, a conveyor for rapidly moving articles from the elevator into said runway and at a lower speed along said runway comprising an endless flexible supporting member overlying the elevator and runway and longitudinally spaced pushers, each engageable with an article on the elevator to move the same off the elevator, onto said runway and along the runway, said pushers being connected to said supporting member to swing about axes transverse to the line of travel of said supporting member, means for driving said supporting member at constant speed, and means for swinging each of said pushers forwardly about its pivotal axis during its movement with an article over the elevator to move an article from the elevator to the runway at a speed greater than that of said supporting member and for holding said pushers in fixed position with respect to said supporting member during their passage along said runway to move articles at constant speed along said runway.

5. In a wrapping machine, a folding and sealing runway, an elevator movable to carry articles to a position in alinement with an end of said runway, a conveyor for moving articles from the elevator at a relatively high speed into said runway and along said runway at a lower substantially constant speed comprising an endless flexible supporting member overlying the elevator and extending longitudinally over said runway and longitudinally spaced article engaging pushers, each connected to said supporting member for continuous engagement with an article to move the same on the elevator and along said runway, said pushers being connected to said supporting member to swing about axes transverse to the line of travel of said supporting member, means for driving said supporting member at constant speed, and a cam acting upon said pushers to swing each pusher forwardly during its engagement with an article on said elevator to move an article from the elevator to the runway at said relatively high speed and for holding said arms in substantially fixed positions during their travel along said runway to move the article at said lower constant speed.

6. In a wrapping machine, a feed bed, a folding and sealing runway above said bed, an elevator, means for reciprocating said elevator with a dwell in alinement with an end of said runway, an endless sprocket chain having a horizontal run over said elevator and runway, a pusher connected to said chain for pushing engagement with an article on said elevator and along said runway, said pusher being pivoted to said chain to swing about an axis transverse to its line of travel, a roller carried by said pusher, means continuously driving said chain, and a guide for said roller having a cam portion acting on said roller to swing said pusher forwardly to increase its speed during its engagement with an article on the elevator and reduce the time required to discharge an article from said elevator to said runway, said guide having a straight portion over said runway for holding said pusher against pivotal movement.

7. In a wrapping machine, a feed bed, a folding and sealing runway above said bed, an elevator, means for reciprocating said elevator with a dwell in alinement with an end of said runway, an endless sprocket chain having a horizontal run over said elevator and along said runway, a pusher connected to said chain for pushing engagement with an article on the elevator and along the run- Way, said pusher being pivoted to said chain to swing about an axis transverse to its line of travel,

a roller carried by said pusher, means continuously driving said chain, and guides for said chain and said roller having nonparallel cam portions for causing said pusher to swing forwardly and a move forwardly faster than said chain during its engagement with the article to move it from said elevator to said runway and to swing rearwardly and move forwardly at less speed than the chain during movement of the article over the entrance portion of said runway and parallel portions for causing said pusher to move at the same speed as the chain during movement of the article along the runway.

EDWARD G. SCHRAGE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,116,406 Fleischer Nov, 10, 1914 2,088,269 Lyon July 27 1937 2,332,316 Hexter Oct. 19, 1943 

